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Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The governor of Ondo State and the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has boasted that he will defeat the duo of his deputy, Agbola Ajayi and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Eyitayo Jegede, in their wards during the October 10 state governorship election.
Speaking on the sideline at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, after appearing before the APC Primary Election Appeal Committee, Governor Akeredolu however advised his deputy to remain with the PDP, describing his leaving APC as good radiance to bad rubbish.
He also dismissed the claim that his deputy has political relevance and influence in the state, boasting that he will defeat him and Jegede, the PDP candidate as he did in 2016.
Asked his impression about his deputy’s actions, he said: “For me, the deputy leaving the APC to return to the PDP is good radiance to bad rubbish. We thought we could accommodate him at the APC but since he returned to where he truly belong, it is all well and good. I always wish people the best I can.”
“From what I have been told, he has lost the ticket in PDP and I pray he won’t jump to another place but even if he does, all well and good. For his own sake and as a big brother, I will however advice him to stay with Jegede, support him very well.
“He has made a case that he helped me to win in 2016, let him help Jegede to win and we will confirm that he is truly popular. What I know is that he is of no importance, he has no hold on any local government, I can assure you that come the election, I will defeat him in his local government and he will never recover from it.
“He is of no influence anywhere and we picked in 2016 because we felt we have someone from PDP coming to join us. We picked him to join us but he felt and tells people that he is grassrooted. Let me advice him again to stay with Jegede and let us see what happens,” he advised.
On the threat from the PDP candidate, Akeredolu said: “Jegede is my friend. We are colleagues and both members of inner Bar. I don’t have anything against him and I just prayed that our campaign should be issue based without violence. I am sure that he knows that it will not be easy for him. Yes, it may not be easy for me to win, but by His Grace, I am going to win. I can assure that as it was in the beginning, so it shall be now and forever more. We will win this election by the grace of God,” he noted.
The governor equally spoke on his mission to the national secretariat of his party, explaining: “I am here because people lodged appeals against my election and emergence from the party primary and so I came around to answer to the appeals.”
“I was told that two aspirants had approached the committee to file two appeals against me and my mission here is to reply to the appeals. If some of them claim that the process that produced me was fraudulent, they have right to make such claims, but they should take it to the Appeal Committee and I will respond to it.
“They have to prove their claims before the committee and until they prove and do that convincingly before the Appeal Committee, then I don’t need to talk about their claims,” he quipped.
On the efforts to settle with the aggrieved aspirants, he said: “As you would have noted in my speech where I made it clear to ensure that I reach out to all the aspirants that contested with me, I have already been to the houses of few of them.
“I am meeting with the party leaders to call stakeholders meeting for us to move ahead on this matter. I believe that there must be reconciliation and good enough that the committee headed by the Niger state governor is making great effort to ensure that there is genuine reconciliation. I am in support of it. I want people to come so that we can reconcile and work together,” he appealed.
